


The Correct Configuration

by Lumelle



Series: Instructions for Assembly (Some Parts Sold Separately) [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Young Avengers
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2757827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once Billy and Teddy return from their honeymoon, they are surprised to see that home doesn't mean Stark Tower anymore. However, they are not the only Young Avengers who have to find their place.</p><p>Good thing they're all doing very well at that, actually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coming Home

"You know," Teddy said, reaching to take Billy's suitcase before he could even think of protesting, "for all that I had a good time, I'm kind of happy to get back home, too."

"Oh, I don't know. I think I could have taken another day or two of lounging in the sun." Billy rolled his shoulders, then settled into a step beside Teddy as he started walking through the busy airport. Not that he was complaining that he didn't have to handle his own bag, but now Teddy didn't have a hand free for him to hold. He was doing his best not to pout at that, really he was. "Do we know who's coming to pick us up?"

"No idea. I called yesterday and made sure they knew what time we're coming, so even if everyone else is busy, they should have sent a driver at least."

"I sure hope. I really don't feel like getting a cab right now." Billy made a face. "That was quite enough time spent in a small, confined space with strangers for a little bit."

"You know, love, if I didn't know better, I might say you are acting just the tiniest bit snobbish right now." Teddy grinned at him, the cruel person that he was. "I think we'll be fine. Even if everyone else forgot, Pepper wouldn't."

"Well, unless there's some kind of a Tony-made mess, she wouldn't. Those do have a habit of getting her attention." Billy's eyes scanned the crowds as they walked, silent for the moment, until he came to a halt. "Wait. Isn't that..."

"Tony? I think it is, against all evidence." Teddy's eyes had fallen upon the very same sight. There, standing among several other people waiting for arrivals, was a dark-haired man with very expensive sunglasses and an impeccably trimmed beard, apparently listening to music. Which would have been quite enough for recognition, really, if it wasn't for the rather unlikely t-shirt he was wearing. "Nobody else would go out in public looking like that."

"Oh, I don't know. I refuse to believe all the freaks in New York belong to our family, however much it might sometimes look like it." Billy strode forward. The man, spotting them, grinned and lowered his glasses just long enough for them to confirm his identity. "My Little Pony? Really?"

"No, no, you've got it all wrong. Clearly, it's My Little Avenger." Tony took off his headphones and then pointed at the drawing of colorful little ponies on his shirt. And, okay, one of them was red and gold and apparently flying very fast, and another was very big and very green compared with the rest, and the rest all had similar hints to their identity, but still. It was ponies.

"Dare I ask just what's been going on?" Teddy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Is this your idea of camouflage or something?"

"Obviously, it's working." Tony made a motion for them to follow, then turned to walk off through the crowds. "Steve said I'd get stopped every few steps if I didn't do more than put on sunglasses, but clearly he's underestimated the effect of the right outfit. I haven't had a single person recognize me."

"That, or the ones who do are just too embarrassed to approach you." Though Billy had to admit, Tony Stark wasn't the first person to come to mind when he saw a guy in a pony t-shirt and worn-down jeans. "So is this some kind of new merchandising idea? Because if so, I want to be left out of it."

"Nah, haven't managed to get through the negotiations with Hasbro. This is a fan-made thing, got it online. Well, actually Bruce got it for me. I think he meant it as a gag gift, but I think it's absolutely hilarious."

"Glad to hear you're happy, I guess." Billy sighed. "At least you had the presence of mind to block out the arc reactor."

"Yeah, I figured it would be a bit of a give-away to have it shining through the shirt. Not that most people still know I have it outside the suit." Tony snapped his fingers. "Speaking of which, the reason I'm here all by myself without anyone to distract me is that there's a bit of a situation over in Bronx or somesuch. Three-headed dogs or something like that. Apparently their spit corrodes metal, so I was told very kindly to get the fuck out while I still had something intact around me."

"Oh?" Teddy frowned, and Billy found himself walking faster as well. "Should we head there? Wait, it'll be faster if Billy takes us, if you could just take our —"

"Forget it. Cap called me not long ago; they've got the situation mostly under control, aside from trying to convince Thor he shouldn't try and adopt one because we very much doubt they can be housetrained. The team will get debriefed and cleaned up and then meet up with us all in good time."

"If you're sure." Teddy was still frowning as they finally made it out of the airport, though, all the way until Tony lead them to the car. It was one of what Tony called his casual cars, still shiny and clearly expensive but not quite as eye-catching as the finer pieces of his collection.

"Okay, you're clearly going low-profile." Billy helped Teddy with fitting their suitcases in the trunk before getting on the back seat with him. No, he had not yet had enough of being near his husband, honeymoon over or not. "I've got to say, I'm almost impressed."

"I'll just ignore any hint of a slight in your voice." Tony got in the driver's seat and just barely waited for them to get buckled in before driving off. "So. Did you two do anything interesting during the last couple of weeks that I could actually stomach listening to?"

They did manage to find more than enough non-sex things to talk about to fill up the duration of the drive, Billy and Teddy sharing some of the more innocent aspects of their holiday and Tony catching them up on what had been going on in New York in their absence. It was distracting enough that it took Billy a while to realize that they were not, in fact, heading towards the Tower.

"Wait. Where are we going?" He frowned, looking around. He didn't claim to recognize every last neighborhood in New York, but he did know this was not an area that was necessary to cross on their way to the Tower.

"Why, home, of course." Tony grinned at them in the mirror, his smile innocent enough that Billy knew he was up to something utterly devious. "Isn't that obvious?"

"Unless your idea of a home has suddenly become very different from mine, no, it's not." Billy frowned. "Tony. What are you up to?" It was probably a testament to just how weird his life was that it took him a mere moment to come up with quite a few alarming possibilities. "Wait. Are you Tony?"

"Steve's got the worst bed head in the house, your brother is practically addicted to marshmallows but only the pink ones, and Kate likes to sleep in his t-shirts even though she'll fiercely deny it any time after 9AM." Tony rolled his eyes, clear enough even though his gaze was half-obstructed by his sunglasses. "Really, I'm not sure if I should be all offended that you're doubting me or worried that you're so easily trusting."

"No reason to be worried. If you did turn out to be some kind of an impostor, I'm pretty sure we could wreck both you and the car before there was any actual threat to us." And it was probably just slightly messed up that hearing Teddy say such things made Billy feel a bit warm inside. "So if you're not someone else posing as Tony, what's going on? Because Billy's right, this isn't the right way to the Tower, and I rather doubt you'd be driving around just for the delight of spending more time with us before everyone else descends upon us."

"Really, this is most upsetting. I'm not sure how I feel about having such a suspicious a son-in-law." Tony gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine, fine. I was told to take you to look at one last wedding gift."

"Oh?" Billy blinked. "Wait. You mean the one Steve was talking about?" He remembered something like that, Steve giving him a worried smile and saying something about one last gift once they got back. Billy hadn't been paying much attention, really. It wasn't his fault; he hadn't had much presence of mind left for anything but Teddy. People should have known better than to try and have actual conversation with him in the middle of his wedding day, really.

"That would be the one." Tony nodded. "Almost everyone's had some part in it, so I think they're all a bit anxious about whether you'll like it."

"And it's not at the Tower, for whatever reason." Okay. This sounded rather weird, but also not that out of the realm of possibility. "Fine. But if it does turn out you're some kind of a hostile Skrull plant trying to drive us to our doom, I'm going to take you down."

"Duly noted." Tony smirked, then turned his attention back to the road. That at least was a relief.

They came to a halt not long after. Tony parked the car and proceeded to get out right away, apparently expecting them to do the same. By the time Billy and Teddy had exchanged glances and gotten out of the car, Tony had the trunk open, pulling out their suitcases.

"So." He shut the trunk, glancing at first at Billy, then at Teddy. "Here we are."

"What do you mean, here we are?" Billy frowned. The house they had stopped in front of was no different from the rest in the neighborhood, in that it was probably bigger than the one that had been quite capable of housing Billy, his parents, all three of his brothers and Teddy at one point. What he could see of the surrounding garden beyond the fence was sparse but neat. There were no signs of anyone actually living there, though, aside from the freshly mowed lawn.

"Billy." Teddy's voice was quiet as he tugged at Billy's arm. "Billy, look at the nameplate."

Billy did, and blinked. There was a plate on the fence, right next to the gate they had stopped in front of. It was a simple thing, just one word. "Banner," he read aloud. "Tony, what the..."

"Well, I know you kept your own name, but we figured this would get the least attention." Tony smirked. "So, you like it?"

Billy blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Wait. You can't mean —"

"Pepper found the place and handled the purchasing part and all that." Tony ignored his astonishment, opening the gate and marching right through. "The rest have taken care of all repairs and renovations and such. I'll admit I haven't done much, but then practically everything was done on my dime, so I'll just consider that my contribution. I actually haven't seen the inside of the place yet, myself."

It took them a moment to recover, but then Teddy nudged Billy. They grasped their suitcases and followed Tony with hurried steps. "You mean... this is for us?"

"Well, clearly." Tony dug something out of his pocket as he reached the porch, tossing it towards Billy. He caught it mostly by reflex, and found himself staring at a set of keys. "Why'd you think Pepper was so insistent that you register for household stuff?"

"I guess it was a bit weird." He shook his head, then made his way to the door and tried the key. It worked. Okay, so apparently this wasn't just some weird prank to get them to break into a stranger's house, or whatever. "But, just so you know, people buying you a house is even more weird!"

"Oh, I don't know. Everyone seemed to think it was a great idea." Tony grinned, clearly waiting for them to go inside first. Because they would not get anywhere standing there arguing, Billy stepped inside as he got the door open, Teddy right at his heels. Tony indeed followed them in, closing the door behind them.

The house was silent, smelling faintly of fresh paint and cleaning. The lights turned out easily, illuminating a hallway.

"Most of your stuff is in the master bedroom," Tony said. "I think Kate and Coulson took care of picking most of the furniture for the rest of the house, so it shouldn't be anything too terrible. Don't know if the kitchen's stocked yet, but then you're expected for dinner back at the Tower anyway, so that's not very important right now."

"You got us a house." No, that still hadn't entirely sunk in yet. "I mean... why?"

"Why? Well, you are married now, would seem weird to have you still living in one room under your parents' roof and all. I mean, Clint and Coulson live there, but I'm pretty sure they've got at least one hideout somewhere else, too, so that obviously doesn't count. And it's not like we're going to burn your room back at the Tower." Tony looked around as though looking for something. "Ah, this should be it."

"What should be it?" Teddy left his suitcase by the front door, standing beside Billy as they watched Tony walk to one side of the hall. There were two doors there, and though Billy wasn't an expert, at a closer look he started to suspect they had been put in fairly recently. They were slightly different from the other doors visible, at least, and as he finally stepped closer the smell of fresh paint seemed to get a bit stronger.

"The part where I had to ask Stephen Strange for help. Which you'd better appreciate, by the way. The man can be intolerably smug." Tony paused before the doors, then opened the one on the left.

Billy wasn't sure what he had expected to see. The familiar sight of their bedroom wasn't it, anyway, certainly not from an angle where he could clearly see the door. "What the..."

"It's linked to the Tower." Tony shut the door again, looking slightly smug. "The other one leads to your study, by the way. Strange assures me the enchantments should be more or less permanent, though I'm still not sure if I should trust someone with such terrible fashion sense. I mean, nothing against capes, capes are great, but I'm really not feeling the general ensemble."

"You got us a house and linked it to the Tower." Billy wasn't even sure what part of that was the most outrageous. Their lives were absolutely, utterly weird. "That's — that's just —"

"Billy." Teddy's voice caught his attention. Turning to look, he found Teddy standing by another wall, looking at what looked like a collection of photographs hung on the wall. "Billy, come look at this."

Something about the tone of Teddy's voice made Billy frown as he walked closer. As he got close enough to see what Teddy was looking at, though, he more than understood.

There were several photographs there, all in identical frames, hung in what he supposed was an artistic formation. All the pictures were of their friends and family. There were a couple of Spider-Man's team, one in costume and one without, grinning at the camera. A casual shot of Pepper laughing at something while Steve and Tony grinned, Kate napping against Tommy's shoulder with his arm around Noh-Varr on his other side, Bruce fiddling with something in his lab. Everyone was there, Wanda and Pietro and Ororo in a family portrait with two smiles and one slightly softened scowl, even a somewhat grim picture of Erik in the corner. However, none of that caught his attention.

There were a few pictures set in different frames, white where everything else had been framed in black, hung in a row above the rest. One was of Vision, a shot Billy vaguely remembered taking himself, the one time in another life and another world they had properly met. Another held a Wanda, almost identical to the one hugging Ororo in another picture yet subtly different, older and more tired, but smiling. Then there was the Kaplan family, a family shot Billy remembered Teddy taking once, his parents smiling and his little brothers annoying him and damn he was getting choked up.

And then there was a picture of a blond woman, smiling slightly at the camera, looking as though she was about to say something. Teddy's eyes were locked on her, his expression unreadable.

"JARVIS scanned your phones back when you first arrived," Tony said behind them, his voice softer than Billy could recall hearing it in ages. "We figured that if we were going to make a family photo wall, we should include everyone. Kate and Tommy handled this part so we could be sure we got all the important people."

"Mom." Teddy's voice was little more than a whisper. "She… I didn't even remember I had a picture of her."

"That's from my phone," Billy murmured, stepping closer to him. "I came by one Saturday morning but you weren't ready, and she told me to take a picture as evidence that some people are capable of actually being dressed by the time guests come over." He could remember it so clearly now, the smile on her face and the slight teasing tone to her voice, and as he leaned closer to Teddy he was tearing up, too.

Tony didn't say anything, for once knowing when not to meddle, but that was all right, that was perfectly fine. They needed a moment, anyway.

Teddy's arms reached around him, drawing him to the strong chest, and Billy didn't resist. He felt Teddy's breath in his hair, warm as he whispered, "We're home, Bee. And they wouldn't want to see us crying on our first day back home."

While Billy did have tears prickling in his eyes, he still found himself smiling, just a bit.

*

The room was entirely silent aside from the sound of Teddy breathing beside him.

That in itself was strange. Unless he went out of his way to visit Kate's studio with its soundproof walls, the Tower was never truly quiet. The sounds of traffic didn't really reach that far up, but there were other sounds. The whir of machines, hum of air conditioning, people moving about in other rooms and hallways. It wasn't loud, a mere background hum that he had long since learned to close out, but it was familiar.

Now there was none of that, and if it hadn't been for Teddy's calm, regular breaths beside him, Billy might have freaked out, just a little.

He shifted, trying not to be too obvious about it. There was no reason for both of them to lie awake in the wee hours, so he didn't want to startle Teddy. However, as he did so, Teddy's arm reached around him, drawing him close.

"Sorry," Billy murmured. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"I was already awake." Teddy's chest vibrated with the words as Billy set his hand over it. "Well. More like I never got to sleep at all."

"You, too, huh?" Billy huffed a small chuckle. "I just — I don't know why it's so difficult. It's like we're somewhere strange, which, okay, that makes sense. Except I didn't have any trouble sleeping in the hotel room."

"I guess it's because this is supposed to be our bedroom, except it isn't, not really. Not the one we're used to, in any case." Teddy paused. "I guess we could just sneak back in there. I mean, our old bed is still there, right?"

"It wouldn't be the same, though. It's pretty much the only thing that still is there." They'd passed through their old bedrooms a couple of times now, moving to the Tower and back again, and it was just the slightest bit creepy to see the familiar room stripped of almost everything personal. "And besides, we can't really keep doing that. For one thing, it'd be pretty childish, and for another, they might think we don't like our gift." Which wouldn't have been true, not at all. Billy was overwhelmed, yes, but not upset or ungrateful. It was just — a lot to take in.

"True. I don't think I'd like to deal with Tommy's teasing if he rushed in and found us there." Teddy nuzzled Billy's hair a bit, his breath warm on Billy's scalp. "Not like he doesn't have enough things to tease us about as it is."

"And if he didn't, he'd come up with something." Billy managed a faint chuckle. "I'd almost apologize for subjecting you to him, but I'm pretty sure you knew what you were getting into when you married me."

"Oh, I was well aware. And I still chose to become your husband, annoying brother-in-law and all." Teddy's nuzzle turned into a small kiss on Billy's temple. "I won't be scared off that easily."

"Lucky me." Billy nuzzled closer. "Because if you tried to run off at this point, I'm pretty sure I'd just drag you right back."

"I promised to be here, didn't I? And a lot of other things besides." Teddy's arm tightened around him a bit. "We're in this together, now."

"Have been for quite a while." Billy was quiet for a moment. "You know, it's kind of surreal to think that we're supposed to be adults, now."

"Well, we've been called adults before. But yeah, I know what you mean." Teddy chuckled. "I thought it was going to feel like a lot of responsibility to actually be a married man at last, even if I have been with you for years. And then I found out I was also a home-owner."

"Yeah, there really isn't much left for us to collect for the full adult experience." Billy sighed. "I don't really feel like an adult, though. I mean, some days I don't feel responsible enough to even look after Legolas, and he can pretty much take care of himself if need be."

"Trust me, I know the feeling. Sometimes I wonder how anyone would trust us to actually do things without messing everything up." Teddy sighed. "But we've got to try, right? I mean, we can't just throw up our arms and give up just because it feels weird."

"I guess that's why we are adults and not just whiny kids, in the end." Billy hummed in thought. "Maybe it'll get easier with time? I mean, responsibilities and all that. We'll get used to it eventually, right?"

"I wouldn't count on that, looking at Tony sometimes." Teddy was joking, that was clear enough in his tone, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness as well. Well, at least Billy wasn't the only one who was feeling uncertain. "It's just... it almost feels like we stole someone else's life and are now playing pretend even though we don't really fit."

"I know what you mean." Billy sighed. "And any moment now, someone will rush in and demand that we give it all back."

"Well, tough luck, because I'm not going to. I might not be used to this life yet, but I happen to like it far too much to give it up."

"Oh, me neither. I'm very happy with my life, even if it seems a bit much for me to claim it all." Billy nuzzled closer to Teddy. "And, hey, at least I don't have to figure out this new life all on my on, right?"

"That's right. Because we'll do this together, difficult or not." Teddy's hand covered his on Teddy's chest. It was warm and familiar, as was the steady beat of Teddy's heart under his hand.

"I love you," Billy murmured, closing his eyes. "You know that, right?"

"I love you, too."

Perhaps it was too quiet in the room, but he had heard what he needed to, anyway.


	2. Speaking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy and Billy give an interview to one of their favorite YouTube channels, because what else could two geeks with some fame do? Later, SHIELD wants Billy's help but not his advice. Billy is not entirely pleased, nor is he afraid to make his displeasure known.

Teddy was glowing.

It wasn't the word Billy would have preferred to use, as that particular verb had certain connotations when applied to one's spouse that in this case were unfounded as far as he knew, but it was really the only one that fit. Teddy did stop just short of giving off actual light, but Billy got the funny feeling that if he had squinted his eyes just right, he might have seen the glow.

Not that he was going to squint. That would have looked really strange on camera.

Their interviewer certainly seemed to see the glow, as he appeared the slightest bit dazzled when faced with Teddy's genuine smile. Not that Billy was going to blame him. He still sometimes got distracted and he'd had years of experience with it.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show!" Well, that was a quick recovery. Admirable, really. "So, for those of you who have lived under a rock for the last couple of years, my special guests today are Billy Stark and Teddy Banner, better known as Wiccan and Hulkling of the Avengers. And to the many of you who are only watching this video for them, hi, my name is Gary the Supergeek, this is my channel where I geek out over all things super. Which, really, you should have figured out from the name." He threw a grin in their direction. "Say hi to the camera, guys."

Billy smiled and gave a wave at the camera, though he knew he wasn't nearly as telegenetic as Teddy. Which, really, was only to be expected; of course Teddy looked perfect no matter the situation. One of the perks of being a shapeshifter.

"I'd thank you guys for coming on the show, but really, you went on Martina's channel first, by all rights you should be dead to me." Gary gave a small huff. "I'd ask what she's got that I don't, but I already know the answer. It's those figures she always has on the show, isn't it? You only went to her first so you'd get to play with them."

Teddy chuckled. "Guilty as charged. That, and she did ask first. We sadly can't make appearances on all the geeky channels out there, not even all the ones we watch as religiously as the two of you, but she's local and asked us nicely."

"That, and we were falling behind on our quota of obligatory PR appearances for the month," Billy added in his most innocent tone. "We decided we'd rather go on Martina's show to chat about the hottest new vigilantes than try to pretend we're all mature and professional about this hero thing." That, and they'd been in the actual news long ago, but he still got a little thrill from realizing that there were actual fans out there who talked about them on their fan videos. Like real heroes.

"Still, I really should be hurt and disappointed, but seriously, I'm just too thrilled to have you here." Gary grinned. "Well, I suppose I should start by congratulating you guys on your marriage. I mean, it's only been three weeks, you're still practically newlyweds."

"Yeah, and it still hasn't stopped being exciting." Teddy chuckled. "We've only been back from our honeymoon a week. I still sometimes stop and wonder if the wedding actually happened."

"Believe me, it happened all right." Billy flashed Teddy a grin. "And if someone tries to tell me it didn't, I'll turn them into a toad. I'm not going through all that stress again, not even for you."

"Ah, young love." Gary grinned. "Seriously, all us superfans were absolutely thrilled for you two. And from what little we've seen in the media, it seems everyone at the wedding had a good time, too. Not that we've seen much; aside from one article you actually managed to keep the whole thing under the wraps."

"It was kind of a necessity. There were a lot of people there who don't want their identity revealed. So, rather than not invite them, we decided to keep the exposure to a minimum." Teddy looked at Billy, and there was such deep affection in his gaze that Billy melted. "In the end, the day was absolutely perfect."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did the two of you meet?" Ohh, actual questions. "I mean, everyone knows by now that you were already a couple before you came to live with your fathers, and at least Billy didn't even know about his Avengers connection until just recently. Was your ending up together just the biggest coincidence in the history of coincidences, or is there something more to this?"

"Well, yes and no." Teddy took Billy's hand, entwining their fingers. The slight tension there was the only indication that he wasn't entirely relaxed as he got into the well-rehearsed cover story. "We actually met online, on a mailing list for people with extraordinary abilities. So technically it was a coincidence, since Tony's being an Avenger has nothing to do with the fact that he apparently has a latent mutant gene that the twins inherited. But our meeting was kind of related to our later heroics, so not as coincidental as if we'd just met on the street by chance."

"That, and my magic does mess with things. I used to wish for the perfect boyfriend, because, well, what teenager wouldn't? A teenager who's into guys, anyway. So maybe my magic led me to the right place to find a guy who I could share my entire life with, strange parentage included." But never creating Teddy. That just wasn't possible. He could never have imagined someone who was so very perfect for him.

"This? This is why Tony keeps saying magic gives him a headache." Teddy grinned. "Though I've got to admit, from what little I've understood most of it isn't quite as unpredictable as Billy's."

"Oh, hush. You like my magic well enough when I lock the door without leaving the bed." No, it wasn't an inappropriate comment, thanks. They were married, for fuck's sake; if someone didn't know that married people tended to share a bed they weren't old enough to be online watching videos on their own, anyway.

Teddy blushed, just the slightest dusting of red on his cheeks, the most attractive of blushes and yes this was absolutely an objective opinion. "I never complained, darling, just said it's not something I understand. That's your specialty in any case; I'm quite happy to leave all things mystical in your hands."

They got to some more questions about how they had made their way to the Avengers Tower and then the team, and both of them managed to stick to the story without fail. From there they touched on other themes of heroism, a couple of questions about their thoughts on Tommy's pro-mutant work, and finally got to geek out together with Gary the Supergeek as he touched on the latest reports on new vigilante heroes. Billy didn't talk much, quite content to let Teddy take care of most of it, Teddy with his brilliant smile and kind voice and the way of talking that made everyone adore him no matter what. It was a delight for him to watch, and by the end of the video Gary was as enamored with Teddy as just about everyone who had ever interviewed him directly, while Billy for his part managed not to get too snarky or sarcastic or, well, Stark. There was a reason why neither he nor Tommy ever did public appearances alone, just as there was a reason why Teddy was the best at them. He was just genuinely pleasant, he was never at a loss for words, and if seeing him talk was enough to make Billy fall in love all over again he could only imagine what it was like for someone who didn't deal with Teddy every day.

If he did give off a literal glow when they got home later that evening, it was simply happiness for being so very lucky.

*

It wasn't that Teddy could have never expected someone to suddenly interrupt his day out with Billy; they weren't exactly an ordinary pair of teenagers anymore. However, he had to admit he hadn't expected the culprit to be a couple of dark-clad SHIELD agents instead of, say, a particularly sharp-eyed fan or a supervillain with a grudge.

"Mr. Stark?" One of the agents spoke first, both settling into step on either side of them on their way toward their favorite comic book store. "We need you to come with us."

"Actually, I rather doubt you do." It was probably sad Teddy couldn't help but feel a little proud at Billy's rather calm response. It wasn't like anyone could have faulted him for reacting badly to government-sanctioned secret organizations trying to order them around, even if it was one they were technically affiliated with.

"Things aren't quite that simple, Mr. Stark." The other agent frowned, the most emotion any of them ever seemed to display while on duty. "A certain situation has arisen that requires your expertise."

"As you might have noticed, I'm rather busy at the moment. I don't have the time to do magic tricks for you."

"Far as we can see, you have nothing pressing to do."

"Actually," Billy lifted his eyebrows behind his sunglasses, and if the idiots had been any less idiotic they would have known a warning sign when they saw one, "I am spending time with my husband. Which, let me assure you, is infinitely more important to me than playing around with you. Clearly there is no big crisis going on, or the Avengers would have been alerted. Therefore, I see no reason for Teddy and myself to interrupt our day out."

"As it happens, our situation is rather unique in nature."

"You mean, something magical went wrong and you need Billy to fix it." It was about time he said something, Teddy figured. "You've got Dr. Strange to handle things like that, right? And he's an actual consultant. Billy's only attached to you through the Avengers."

"Dr. Strange is unavailable at the moment." There was a hint of discomfort there, as though they were loathe to admit some things were outside their control, such as the availability of world-shatteringly powerful magicians. Good. SHIELD did need to be brought down a peg or two every now and then.

"And whatever you've got going on can't wait until his return?"

"I'm afraid not." The agent paused. "I have been instructed to tell you that you are not in trouble, Mr. Stark, but your presence is regardless required."

"Well, that's good to hear, since if you'd told me I was in trouble, I might have found it necessary to earn that." Billy sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Where exactly do you need me to go? Because I'm not about to head off to wherever just on your say-so."

"Merely the SHIELD headquarters. The problem, such as it is, is currently contained there."

"Fine." Billy sighed again. "Teddy? Raincheck? If I don't go they might end up doing something really terrible, poking around with magic unsupervised. You go ahead to the store and get my comics as well."

"Right. But you still owe me a proper date." Teddy leaned in to catch a kiss on Billy's lips. "Don't be long."

"Teddy, I'll just be a few floors down. I'll make it back for dinner, regardless of what SHIELD says." Neither of the agents seemed to agree with that, but at least they had the good sense to keep their differing opinions to themselves.

Billy did indeed get back around dinnertime, flying up to the living quarters instead of bothering with such trivialities as an elevator and marching right into the dining room. "SHIELD," he announced, pulling out the seat next to Teddy and dropping down on it, "is full of idiots."

"Could have told you that a while ago," Tony said, paying no heed to Steve's stern gaze. "Any particular reason for your complaint, or was this just a general observation? Teddy did mention they carted you off because of some kind of magical trouble."

"Yes, well, it was Spider-Man. Which was pretty much the only reason I didn't just turn right back and leave them to fix the mess themselves. His team had been fighting some minor would-be-villain magician, Peter got hit by a spell, and was put into magical sleep."

"Oh?" Teddy blinked. "Was it a difficult enchantment, then? You were gone for a while." Long enough that Teddy had been fully prepared to march right down to the SHIELD offices and demand the return of his husband, but that was neither here nor there.

"Well, obviously I asked if they'd called Mary Jane yet, you know, to get her in for a kiss. The idiots told me they'd brought me in to fix it and not get cheeky, which, seriously? I know I'm not exactly Dr. Strange, but if you're asking for my help, you damn well don't treat me like a misbehaving kid. I'm an adult for fuck's sake, and clearly more knowledgeable about the matter than any of them."

"I'd say not to take it personally since they say stuff like that to me all the time, but really, that's just Fury." Tony nodded, looking thoughtful. "I'd presume it was again just the fact that this was your friend that kept you from showing just how bad an idea it was to annoy a wizard?"

"I'm not a wizard, I'm a witch," Billy said, the response almost automatic while he started to fill his plate. "Anyway. I told them there was no way I was going to try some kind of a complicated and potentially dangerous disenchantment before they'd at least tried the simple and easy way. Magic is very impressionable, and by this point, most sleep spells react well to kisses even if it's not specifically stated in the spell, simply because people believe it will work. But no, they couldn't do that, because apparently she doesn't have the clearance to come in and there's no way they could take him anywhere else while he's still in his costume."

"Seriously?" Kate rolled her eyes. "And did you point out that she already knows his secret identity?"

"Oh, I tried. They asked if I could prove that for a fact, because they'd be in trouble if they leaked such information, and apparently they'd rather cause me trouble while covering their asses than be sensible and trust my word."

"Yeah, sounds like SHIELD all right. Bureaucracy until the bitter end." Clint snorted. "So how'd you solve that?"

"In the end? I told them that if they actually thought an eighteen-year-old guy's girlfriend wouldn't know about his superhuman flexibility, stamina, and ability to squirt white liquid around, I'd make sure every coffee machine in the headquarters only produced pink lemonade until Fury ordered a mandatory sex ed class for all active personnel."

Teddy, who had been in the middle of swallowing, very nearly choked as a startled laugh tried to make its way out. The rest had similar reactions, ranging from Steve's faint flush and a groan to Tommy's laughter.

"That's my boy." Tony smirked, and yes, that was definitely a proud expression right there. "And what then? Did they come to their senses?"

"It still took some more fighting, but finally they relented. Mary Jane got called in and escorted into the room, she kissed Peter, he woke up right away. Just as I knew he would, except apparently it was absolutely necessary that I first spent several hours trying to convince the people asking me for advice to actually listen to the advice I give."

"I'll have to have a word with Director Fury." Steve had recovered enough to frown. "That's just unacceptable. They can't order you around and act disrespectful and still expect they have the right to pick you up whenever they want just to ignore you."

"I, ah. Kind of already took care of that?" This time it was Billy who looked embarrassed.

"Billy." Pepper's eyes narrowed, just a bit. "What did you do?"

"Don't look at me like that." He sighed, poking at his food with his fork. "I, uh, well. I made it very clear that the next time they interrupt my day off with a so-called problem any seven-year-old could see the solution to, I'd turn a random selection of agents into frogs. You know, just to see how long it would take them to locate a princess willing to kiss slimy little amphibians." He paused, putting a forkful into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before continuing. "There may have also been some words about the fate of the next agent stupid enough to treat me like a kid while expecting me to do the work of an adult, along with a reminder that I am actually not under any form of contract with SHIELD and do not appreciate being treated as such." Another pause, this time to take a sip of his drink. "And if anyone tries to claim I did all this in the middle of Fury's personal office, broadcasting from there to the rest of the building, well, that can't possibly be true because there's no way a cheeky kid could make his way there without the appropriate security clearances, so obviously any such claims should be ignored."

"Billy." Kate was obviously struggling to seem very serious and stern while Tommy next to her was doubling over in laughter. Clint had his face hidden in his hands, shoulders shaking. "You didn't."

"In my defense, they started it." Billy shrugged. "And I could have done a lot worse. I'll admit I was tempted to, by the point I was walking out and heard one of the idiots murmur how I was nothing but talk and probably couldn't do any actual magic anyway."

Teddy frowned. "You need me to go and have a talk with them?"

"Oh, no need. I'm pretty sure he'll figure it out by the time he next goes to have a cup of coffee. I mean, I'd already had the idea, so I figured I'd go ahead with it anyway."

"So should we now expect an expletive-filled call from Fury about why all the coffee machines in his place will only offer fairground drinks?" Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Of course I left the machine closest to Fury's office functional. Come on, I'm not actually suicidal."

"Smart boy." Now, Tony's momentary serious look made way for a grin. "Can I just say how proud I am of how mature and sensible my dear baby boy was about this whole affair? Because let me tell you, if they'd treated me like that, all the PA systems in the building would be blasting nothing but nursery rhymes at top volume for a week straight."

Bruce snorted. "No offense, Tony, but I wouldn't exactly call you a good standard for what qualifies as a mature response."

From there the conversation devolved into a discussion of what was and wasn't a good way to respond to difficult social situations, which, really, they probably could have written a Do Not guide to the subject between them. Teddy, however, turned his focus to Billy. He seemed mostly calm, but there was a hint of exhaustion under his lingering smirk. Teddy wasn't particularly surprised. An enchantment in an area the size of half of Stark Tower wasn't exactly an easy trick.

"You all right?" he murmured, hand on Billy's arm, and got a smile and a nod in response.

"I'm sorry our day got ruined like that."

"Nothing you have to apologize for. Though I'll be sure to remember this the next time we need something from SHIELD." Teddy leaned in to kiss Billy's cheek. "Do you know how hot it is when you show off your magical power?"

Billy gave him a small grin. "Let me finish my dinner and we can get home so you can show it to me."

Okay. So perhaps the day hadn't been entirely ruined.


	3. Taking Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has an idea he wants to discuss with Tony. Steve, on the other hand, has to ask Kate a difficult question regarding an old friend.

"So." Tommy flopped down on the couch next to Tony, stretching his arms along the back. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but it's actually getting closer to our birthday."

"I do have some vague awareness of the passing of time in this instance, yes." Tony saved his work on the tablet. For all his talkativeness, Tommy was rarely in the habit of seeking him out to initiate conversations, so he had a feeling there was something more to this than a mere casual reminder. "Not that I claim to be aware of the actual date, that's what I have Pepper and Steve for after all, but I do recall a big party some time in the autumn last year."

"That's right." Tommy grinned. "And I've got this idea of what I want for my present."

"Oh? I could just set you a birthday fund, you know, let you buy what you want. Seems to work well with Pepper, she certainly prefers it to my own gifting abilities. I'd be offended except I agree. At least Steve is easy enough as long as I pick up something artsy."

"It's not just a matter of money, though. Well, not exclusively." The grin faded a bit, replaced by a decisive expression. "I want to start a company."

"Really, now?" Well, now he certainly had Tony's full attention. "Not that I'm not in favor of the entrepreneurial spirit, but I think I should hear more about this. Especially if, as it seems, it has something to do with me."

"Kind of? I already spoke with Pepper about the practical matters. She said I could get legal services and such from the lawyers SI employs, and she's certainly prepared to negotiate very reasonable deals regarding any patents and technical developments I might require access to, but there's other stuff I need, too. Like certain designs that aren't SI property at all."

"So that's it, huh?" Tony's eyebrows rose. "You're after my designs, now? And off to steal them to your own company? I'd feel insulted if I wasn't flattered, or something."

"Well, there's only so far I can get by on just what I've come up with by myself. And most of that's based on what I've learned from you, too." And, well, that wasn't something he'd have expected Tommy to admit that easily.

"What is it you want to do, anyway? Because I meant it when I said I wasn't going to get back into weapons business outside of equipping the Avengers, and that also goes for doing that through my renegade offspring."

"I want to help mutants." Okay, that was… not at all surprising, in fact. "You know the program I made for Matt, right? Well, it occurred to me that with some tweaks, that might be useful to other mutants or otherwise different humans with modified hearing or vocal output. And there's got to be tons of other people out there whose lives could be made a lot easier with the right technology."

"That's a pretty lofty goal." Not to say he disapproved, but that was the fact. "And what's stopping you from just offering that help to whoever needs it? I mean, not to brag, but we do kind of have a family tradition of charitable acts. Helps with the tax breaks and everything."

"Pride." Tommy shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Not mine, that is. Well, mostly not. It's… when I gave Matt the program, and the phone to run it on, his parents insisted on paying me. And, well, I understand that. I didn't grow up rich and famous, and I damn well didn't like receiving charity even when it was necessary. So I figured I could sell the products to people who can afford it, and use the proceeds to provide them to those who can't on the side. The charity part might be easier to accept when it's technically the company and not me as an individual offering it."

"That's… not a bad idea, actually." Tony nodded slowly. "You do need to have more concrete ideas than one audio editor, though. You said there'd be other ways to help, but do you have any thoughts of what to do?"

"A lot, actually. Not much I'd have right at hand, but I can see how there's a lot of stuff I could develop from ideas and materials already there. Heat-proof stuff for kids who keep setting their clothes on fire because they can't help it, glasses with filters for those with altered vision, insulating cases for electronics so they don't get scrambled all the time. I mean, seriously, do you know how many kinds of powers can ruin a cell phone beyond repair? It's just ridiculous."

"You might like to think about reaching out to the vigilante community, too," Tony pointed out. "I can see how some stuff that's useful to mutants with unpredictable powers could come in handy for them, too, and they could also help with testing out things that you don't want to hand over to Xavier's kids straight out of the lab."

"So you think I could actually do something with this?"

"Why not? You think fast and work fast, and really those are the most important things in the business. I can definitely provide you with starting funds, and I don't see why you couldn't get your hands on some of my designs, as well, as long as you don't put them into anything that's going to end up helping the terrorists win."

"The Young Avengers don't kill. Not even indirectly." Tommy made a face. "Even though I'm not sure how many of us can actually claim to have held true to that."

"Oh?" Tony did not soften his voice, that wasn't something he did, but he did make sure not to let a snide tone slip into his words. "Anything you'd like to share? I mean, no pressure, but I did once have a terrorist call me a mass murderer, so it's not like you're likely to disappoint me." And how amazing was it that he could now actually talk about that?

"It's nothing." Tommy sighed, then ran a hand over his face. As he looked at Tony again, he looked almost surprisingly young. "Well. I don't know if it's nothing or not."

"I'm listening." All he could do, anyway.

"Well, I won't say I haven't thought of it. When they first broke me out, I was fully prepared to blow up the bastards who'd locked me up, but I was lucky enough to get talked out of it." Tommy leaned back on the couch, his eyes straying up to the ceiling. "After that, though… well."

"Go on." Tony nodded a bit.

"They came to me because they needed to save Teddy from his relatives. Because two simultaneous alien invasions apparently weren't enough with a sprinkling of royal inheritance problems. And during the battle I saw that world's Logan stabbing a few Skrull right through the chest, since with the Skrull that doesn't count as killing when they'll just bounce right back."

"And then?"

"And with that explanation I figured I didn't need to hold back, either. Few things are quite as satisfying as hitting an alien that just tried to shoot you and make them literally go splat."

Tommy was quiet for a moment, and Tony said nothing to hurry him up. This wasn't the time for rushing.

"Later on, I found out there actually are some things even Skrull can't heal." Tommy's voice was quiet, his eyes firmly fixed to the ceiling. "As evident in the fact that Teddy's mom died. And, well. Ever since I've kind of wondered."

"Whether you actually killed them, you mean." Tony paused, thinking that over. "You know, I'm not going to say that potentially killing other sentient races isn't as bad as doing the same to humans. That's a damn slippery slope I don't want to get started on; I've heard enough of where that can lead." Had heard just why Billy went off like a faulty firecracker in the hand of a fifteen-year-old idiot whenever some villain of the week was stupid enough to go after Teddy with any kind of a bladed weapon. "However, the difference between them and the more common variety of villainous thug is that when a group of armed creatures arrive with the intention of taking over your country with the blessing and orders of their rulers, that's an act of war. And far as I'm concerned, when you're at war with someone intent on destroying everything you know and love, taking them out is an act of self-defense even if they don't have a gun pointed at you personally at the time."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly about to let them rule Earth and enslave us all." Tommy shifted a bit. "Doesn't mean I can just look the other way and forget it ever happened."

"Of course not." Tony paused, trying to think of how best to make his point. Steve would have been so much better at this, damn it. "I killed more aliens than anyone else during the invasion of New York." That, at least, was nothing but a fact. "Yeah, I kind of had a little help from a misdirected nuke, but that's still a fact. But the thing is, I don't regret it, and I don't think I did anything wrong. They came here with the intention of killing us all, and I stopped them. Sure, I still sometimes have nightmares where I'm in the middle of nothing and drowning in alien blood, but when I wake up in cold sweat Pepper is there and Steve is there and New York is there all around me, and if I had to do it all over again I would."

"Yet now your approach to aliens seems to be to invite them all to move in."

"It's not my fault you kids keep falling for them." Tony waved a hand. "My point is, not killing anyone is a lovely idea. I definitely support it as a philosophy. However, if you ever have to make the choice between that and protecting those you love… well. I know which option would cause me less regret later."

"Guess that's as good as I'm going to get."

"That's not why you're planning to do this, is it?" Tony gave him a sharp look. "I mean, I know I've done my damn best to make atonement the grand family tradition, but thing is, I don't think you've got anything to make up for. So if that's why you're going to sacrifice your time and effort to help cute little mutant kids…"

"Nah. If I've got anything to atone for, I'll do that by being there the next time we've got an alien invasion at our hands. This, I'm doing because someone should do it, and I seem to have a knack for fiddling with electronics, so it could just as well be me." Tommy shrugged. "That, and I seem to have ended up as something of a spokesperson for all things mutant, so I could just as well do something about it besides just looking pretty and talking fast."

"Just so you know, I'm going to blame Steve when you all turn out to be saints." Tony gave a heavy sigh. "And here I was hoping adopting a couple of teenagers would get me some reinforcements in my constant battle against the agents of propriety and decency that I've somehow fallen in bed with."

"Eh. Neither of us is Christian, technically we're not entirely white, Billy dabbles in the occult and men and I've got two lovers and a habit of swearing in interviews. We may not be all that terrifying within the family, but I'm pretty sure we've sent a few people clutching their pearls nevertheless."

"I guess that's a point." Tony grinned. "I do so love it when I'm not the only one earning public disapproval by the truckload."

"We do our best." Tommy stood up now, stretching himself as though the little while spent on a couch had been forever. "So. You won't protest if I want to try my hand at business?"

"Hey, there's worse things you could spend your time doing. Not that I think that's much of a present, mind you."

"Oh, there's still time to negotiate the terms." Tommy threw him a grin. "I'm kind of hoping to steal Spidey away from you sooner or later. It's not like you don't have enough scientists as it is."

"Can't do that, I've got dibs. Also, a conditional scholarship." Tony lifted one eyebrow. "Though I might be available for negotiation once you've shown you could actually make proper use of his talents."

"I'd better get right on that, then." And, with one last grin, Tommy had disappeared.

Tony waited a moment, then glanced up at the ceiling. "JARVIS? Try and see how complicated it would be to get him a basic manufacturing unit for his lab?"

"On it, Sir." JARVIS paused. "Should I also contact Mr. Parker about renegotiating the terms of his scholarship offer?"

"Why not? The kid's right, I've got plenty of bright people on my pay roll already, and frankly I think a young genius should have a more open environment than an organization the size of SI's R&D. Not that our department isn't brilliant, but God knows it's going to be hard enough for him to play scientist without being two decades younger than the average guy in the lab."

"Very insightful of you, Sir." And this? This was just shameful. His own AI shouldn't have been giving him that tone.

At least he now only had to think of one birthday present, so there was that at least.

*

"Kate? Mind if I interrupt?"

Kate glanced up from her laptop, giving Steve a small smile. "Not at all, I wasn't doing anything too important anyway." She made a couple of more clicks, then shut the laptop, looking up at him. "So. What's up?"

"Actually, I was hoping to ask you something." He could have asked any of the other kids, but for some reason, Kate seemed like the best choice for this. She was their leader, in as much as they had one, and definitely the most sensible of them. Not that the others weren't, occasional bouts of childishness aside, but he knew that if anyone was going to take this in a calm manner, it was going to be Kate.

Besides, it wasn't going to be easy, and dealing with the difficult things was the job of the team leader.

"Well, ask away." Kate gave him a curious glance.

"You sure you won't mind? This... isn't really that simple."

"I told you, it's fine." As though to underline this, she set the laptop onto the coffee table in front of the couch. "Seriously, I wasn't doing anything time-sensitive. I was just going through news footage of our fights to see how I can coordinate Tommy and Noh-Varr better on the field."

Definitely the best person to ask, then. "Don't say I didn't warn you, then." Steve sat down next to her, drawing a deep breath. "Kate... who is Eli?"

"Huh?" Kate blinked, clearly surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Just, I heard the name a few times when the boys were talking about something. It sounded... it sounded like he's someone they miss." Like they missed so much else from their old lives.

"I suppose that's the best explanation, really." Kate's expression turned sober, but not sad. Steve supposed that was good enough. "Eli was, well. Eli Bradley. He was in our team, back when... back when." She shook her head. "He was our leader for a little while, after Nate left. He and I didn't always get along, but we both did our best."

"So you were co-leaders of sorts?"

"I guess? I mean, we both did some of the leader stuff, and tried not to disagree on the important points. Not that we didn't still fight, mind, but, you know. Parents shouldn't fight in front of the kids, and besides if we disagreed that almost always meant half the team was going to be doing one thing and the other half another, and that never ends well." Kate sighed. "He... left the team, and us, when things happened. When we lost Cassie and Jonas, that is. He'd been staying with his grandparents to finish high school, but when the team broke up, he moved over to his parents. We heard from him occasionally, but weren't really in touch much by the time we came over here."

"I see." So far, it all made sense. "What kind of a person was he?"

"He wanted to be a hero. A bit too much, as it happened." At Steve's questioning gaze, she sighed. "Eli... his grandfather was a super soldier. Kind of like you, but an earlier version, before they got all the kinks ironed out. So by the time Eli was growing up, he was still strong like an ox, but his mind... it wasn't all there. And Eli felt slighted, of course he did, that nobody remembered his grandfather and everything he had done. So when Nate went around looking for baby heroes, Eli jumped at the chance. Told us he'd gotten some of his grandfather's blood, and that was why he was superstrong and everything."

"Was that not true, then?" Because something in Kate's voice certainly implied so.

"No. He... there was this drug, back in our world. It could give normal people mutant powers. Or kill mutants, but hey, side effects, what can you do? And Eli had been taking that. Beat up dealers under the guise of doing good, then stole their wares for himself. He knew it'd ruin him, but he needed to be a hero so desperately, he was willing to take the risk."

"And did it?" Steve looked down at his hands. "Ruin him, that is?"

"He had a bad reaction, but not so bad he couldn't bounce back. We got him to stop, but obviously he wasn't feeling too good about being on the team after that." She paused for a moment, eyes looking out somewhere. "And then he decided to get in the way of a bullet meant for our Cap."

"Damn." The swear word came out without thinking. At least he caught himself before he managed to apologize for swearing in front of a lady, because Kate would not have liked that.

"Oh, he survived that. Got the blood transfusion, too, and finally got the powers he wanted. I guess there's some kind of irony there, that he got the heroic abilities he always wanted to have by doing a heroic act of self-sacrifice. After that, he was one of our most steadfast members until everything went to Hell." Kate chuckled faintly. "He and Tommy never got along very well. I'm still not sure if it was because they were both trying to compete for my attention or just because Eli was a bit of a stick in the mud and Tommy is, well, Tommy."

"He sounds like quite the man."

"Oh, he was great. Had his flaws, sure, but then, who doesn't? You'd have liked him, I bet. The other you seemed to."

"I have a feeling I would have." Steve paused, mulling over his thoughts. If he did that, there would be no turning back. "There's a reason I was asking you this."

"I kind of had the feeling there was." And of course she would have realized it. "Am I going to like this?"

"Possibly not." Steve ran a hand through his hair. "I'd apologize, but, well. You'd probably be more upset if I never said anything." He dug his phone out of his pocket, fumbling with it for a bit. Finally he got up the picture he wanted and showed it to her. "Look familiar?"

Kate gasped, her eyes widening. "That's... that's Eli."

"It is." Steve nodded. "Eli Bradley-Wilson."

"Wait, what?" Kate blinked, then frowned. "Wilson?"

"He's Falcon's husband." Steve looked down at the picture. A smiling young man, with a hint of tiredness around the eyes. "I've met him a couple of times. Falcon got me in touch with his grandfather, Isaiah. A great young man, a couple of years older than you. He used to be in the marines, works in a bookstore now."

"Eli always enjoyed it," Kate murmured. "Working in a library, that is. I guess he'd like a bookstore, too."

"So, you know. If you ever wondered where his life would have led without you guys around... well. I suppose we have the answer here."

"Indeed." Kate paused. "Falcon's husband, you said?"

"Yeah. They haven't been married for long, but from what I can tell, they're pretty happy together. Eli went to Sam's PTSD group when he got back from overseas, that's how they met. They moved to New York recently to be closer to Eli's grandparents."

"I see." Kate smiled, just a bit. "I'm glad he's happy. I mean, even though he's not our Eli." She gave a long, exaggerated sigh. "I guess it makes sense he'd still be doing his best to be a hero."

"That would seem appropriate, yes." Steve thought of the young man he'd met, calm and steady except when he started defending something and got all passionate. It did sound like what little Kate had told him about their friend.

Kate was quiet for a little while. Then, she spoke, her voice quiet. "Steve?"

"Yes?" He already had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

"Can you... not tell the boys? About this Eli, I mean." Kate sighed. "They... it's not the same, he's not the same, but they'd want to meet him anyway. And when he couldn't remember them or anything... I don't know how they'd handle it."

"I wasn't going to." And, yes, there was the team leader, making the difficult decisions. Such as keeping this to herself instead of letting it burden anyone else. "Just. I thought I should at least check. Especially if you happen to run into him, what with Falcon hanging around more. Thought it'd be best if someone at least was up to date."

"I know. Thank you for telling me." She managed a smile, now, but there was a hint of tension to it.

But then, Steve had no choice but to trust that she could handle the responsibilities she had chosen to shoulder.


	4. Going On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While visiting Xavier's school, Billy finds out something interesting. Afterwards, he gives a thought to his current life and how he feels about it.

Had Billy been the type to take offense easily, he might have done so at the speed his boyfriend disappeared as soon as they made it to the school.

As it was, he merely gave a faint chuckle and shook his head, looking after Teddy as he rushed off, murmuring something about being late. It was true enough, anyway; for all that there wasn't some pressing need to arrive at precisely the right time, Teddy had made a Commitment and he liked to stay true to those. Well, he did when they didn't have any unexpected world-saving expeditions going on, anyway. Billy could probably count on the fingers of one hand all the times Teddy had ever been late for a date during their entire relationship, and each time Teddy would apologize as though he had made some grievous error even if the delay had been in no way his fault.

One time Billy had actually had to yell at him for apologizing for the atrocious sin of stopping to help an old lady who had fallen on the street. Well, not actually yell, that would have been a terrible thing to do, but he had certainly had some strongly worded and quite possibly loud things to say about how Teddy should never, ever apologize for being late for the sake of doing good and if Billy ever gave him an impression that this required such Teddy should just smack some sense into him. Except this of course had brought on such a horrified look that Billy had ended up being the one who apologized, reassuring Teddy that he knew beyond any shadow of doubt that Teddy would have rather chewed off his own arm than raised it against him and that was without factoring in his healing abilities.

Why, yes, Billy was well aware of how fortunate he was to have such a good man. Didn't mean he wasn't ever going to find it just slightly funny even as it was endearing.

Now, however, Teddy's bailing on him left him in the entrance hall of the Institute all on his own with a rather large package and no idea where he was supposed to take it. Which wasn't really Teddy's fault as much as it was Tommy's, so really, he had no cause to complain either way, but that was the reality of his situation, anyway.

"Ah, Billy." Turning around, he found the Professor approaching, a smile on his face. "You really should have let us know you were coming. Little Ororo is out for the day with Wanda; she will be so sad to hear she missed you."

"I'm sorry, but it was a pretty impromptu decision." Billy gave a faint smile. "Teddy had agreed on a basketball match with Victor and asked if I could send him along. I then decided to tag along since I wasn't doing much else anyway."

"Ah, yes, I did see young Victor around the court earlier. He seemed concerned you would not make it?"

"Um, right." Billy winced. "We were kind of late. Well, we would have been on time, except then Tommy caught wind that we were coming here and asked us to deliver something." He patted the large box at his side. It came almost up to his hip where it stood on the floor, and had weight to match its size. "He said you'd know what this is?" Because Billy certainly hadn't made much sense of his garbled explanations. Tommy had been in a hurry to get out of the tower for a date, and when Tommy was in a hurry, you definitely could tell.

"I do believe I do, yes." Professor smiled. "This is quite splendid. I didn't think he could get it done on such a short time frame."

"Yeah, well, Tommy tends to take deadlines as challenges, and in such cases the deadline always loses." Okay, he'd been really good about his curiosity. "So, can I ask what this is about? Or is it some kind of a super secret project?"

"Nothing quite that exciting, I'm afraid." Charles chuckled. "It is merely a little project I asked your brother to work on as part of his new business idea." He smiled. "Just leave it there, my dear boy, I'll have Logan and Hank get it to its intended destination later. In the meantime, how about we go enjoy a nice cup of tea in my office?"

"Well, if you're sure it won't be in the way, sitting here in the middle of everything." Billy caught up to Charles with a couple of strides as he turned to go, then fell into step beside him. "Though I have to say that answer still gives me very little to go on, so, you know, if you wanted to convince me there's no secret project going on…"

The professor laughed this time. "Oh, nothing like that, my dear Billy. It just might not be so easily explained." They passed a couple of students in the corridor, and some that he recognized smiled and greeted him in the passing. "You know how your brother has been working on some rather remarkable things on our kids whose hearing is affected by their powers, right?"

"Well, sure. He's always thinking up something for our comm links, too. It's a pretty big deal for him." And for both of their sakes Billy was quite happy to pretend he didn't know what had first brought on this nigh-obsession.

"As it happens, I asked him to turn his mind to some similar problems. What I hope to find in that package of yours is a couple of very special screens."

"Screens?" Billy blinked. "You mean, like for computers?"

"Quite so. You see, we have a couple of students who have heat-based vision. As you might imagine, very little of the visual entertainment we encounter every day is something that they are able to enjoy."

"So Tommy's made a screen they can use?"

"That is certainly what I requested of him. He has experimented with the idea briefly before; these are supposed to be the first prototypes suited for more than brief test use." Charles shook his head. "As you can imagine, there are quite a few problems with this kind of a project. The available resolution for one; each screen consists of several separate cells that can have their temperature adjusted independent of each other. The mechanics of these cells rather limit their minimum size. And then there is the matter of insulation. At the moment it is quite impossible to use them for extended lengths of time as the bleed over from neighboring cells will eventually cause any contrast to be lost."

"And if you try to increase the differences, that'll just be all the more heat to seep through." Billy nodded. "I think I can see the problem."

"Indeed. Sadly the matter still cannot be fully resolved; however, Tommy is rather hoping that the latest prototypes will allow the children to at least enjoy some length of time reading or in similar pursuits before the screen requires cooling down. I certainly hope so; it pains me to see young minds who are eager to read yet find themselves unable to do so."

"Well, I'm sure Tommy'll find the best solution there is. He's kind of stubborn like that." And he obviously knew nobody else who could have fit that description.

"Quite so. And I am certain that if he succeeds, my children will not be the only ones who will be able to enjoy the results." Charles shook his head. "He offered to produce these prototypes at no charge, but I refused. If he indeed intends to charge those who can afford to pay to cover the cost of aid for those who can't, he cannot just give away his time and resources to those who certainly have the wherewithal to pay for them."

"Yeah, he's kind of caught the Stark bad habit of giving people stuff because it's easier than actually voicing his feelings." Billy gave a small shrug. "Other than that, he's really taking this new idea of his pretty seriously. Stark lawyers were very thorough with the paperwork from what I understand; pretty much the only thing that wasn't spelled out in black and white is who does or does not need to pay for the aid. So, you know, you might want to get used to insisting; he might be able to cover everything out of his own pocket money right now, but if he ever plans to make it into something bigger than just building a couple of screens for your kids when he can find the time, he'll have to learn good habits early on."

"Oh, I am well aware of that. I certainly intend to do everything I can to encourage such good habits as best as I can." Charles paused in front of his office door just long enough to open it, then rolled out of the way to let Billy in. "After you."

Billy stepped into the familiar air of the professor's office. Every wall was covered with bookshelves crammed to bursting, aside from the window and one lonely cupboard that he knew to host such absolute necessities as Charles's tea set. Billy took a seat in front of the desk while Charles rolled over to the desk, reaching for something under it.

"So. I do believe I promised you tea." Charles started loading the desk with the various paraphernalia that he seemed to find important in the ritual of preparing a cup of tea, such as a fine tea set and at least three different ways of sweetening the drink. His only nod to convenience was an electric kettle, which he reached out to Billy. "I do beg your pardon, my dear boy, but is there anyway you could fill this? It does seem I am quite out of fresh water at the moment."

"Ah, sure." It wasn't what he usually did, but he was getting rather good at conjuring things; something as simple as water did not take much effort. "I thought you stored these things in your cupboard?" At least that was what he seemed to remember.

"I used to, yes, but I do fear it has been taken into another use." Charles set the kettle to boil, then started fussing with the rest of the things again. "So, how has your life been lately? It has been a while since we last had the chance to talk."

"Pretty good, actually. Sure, there's the regular villains and whatnot, but nothing that would actually shake the world, which is always good. I've found ways to keep busy, though, so it's not like I'm getting bored with the lack of potential end of the world scenarios."

"I see." Charles smiled. "And how is married life treating you?"

Billy grinned. "It's just great. Which doesn't even make sense, really, since it's not like anything has really changed. Sure, we technically don't live in the Tower anymore, but most of the time we only go to our house to sleep unless we really want some alone time. But even though things aren't really that different, it's still not the same, you know? I mean, I've been waking up next to Teddy for a long while now, but I still get a bit giddy when I realize he's my husband now."

"That is wonderful to hear." Charles smiled. "I do hope that feeling will remain for a long while for you."

"Yeah, I don't see it fading for a long time yet." Billy returned his smile. "Really, my life in general is just great right now."

Charles seemed about to answer, except just then the door opened. Not the one they had come through, however, but the one that was supposed to lead to the cupboard. Erik stepped through, his eyes on some papers in his hand, his other hand running through his hair. "Charles? Would you mind taking a look at —" Now he looked up, blinking. "Ah, do forgive me. I didn't realize you had company."

"Oh, think nothing of it. Billy and I were just about to have some tea. Would you care to join us?" Charles waved a hand toward a free seat. "And what is it you wanted me to look at? Do let me see."

Billy stared as Erik handed over the papers and sat down. He probably looked a bit stupid, his eyes wide as they were, but right now he didn't really care. "Um. Am I completely out of my mind, but did you just literally come out of the closet?"

Erik appeared more amused than anything by his remark. "Believe me, child, if I were to do such a thing, I would make sure it gets noticed. No, I was just coming from my office."

"Ah, that's right. You probably wouldn't have heard yet." Charles smiled, entirely unaffected, while his eyes quickly scanned through the papers he had been handed. "As Tony asked your dear teacher for help, his request was for three connected doors. Two of them are between your new residence and the Tower, while the third one," he waved towards what Billy knew to be the cupboard door, "connects Erik's office to mine. It is really quite useful for coordinating our efforts regarding the Foundation, and means that Erik can come over whenever there is a need for him to do so."

"But that's your cupboard!" Billy protested. "I've seen it, you used to keep your tea things there!"

"True, but it was also the only spot we could put the door without sacrificing any of his precious bookshelf space." Erik's lips twitched. "Though I did understand some of the children were quite in favor of some kind of a revolving bookshelf secret door contraption."

Charles snorted. "As fanciful as the dreams of youth are, that was just impractical. The force required to move a full bookshelf any significant amount would require such mechanics that it would have been easier to simply build a new door frame in the middle of the room and be done with it. This was simply the easiest way to handle the situation without disturbing my office too much. Unlike Erik, I did not have the liberty of planning for such additions when setting up shop."

"Which is probably for the better, because if there had been an extra door waiting around to be used all these years, you probably would have covered that in books by now, too." There was a kind of ease to Erik that rather surprised Billy. He seemed relaxed in a way he rarely was, all tension gone from his body, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Aside from the occasional flicker towards Billy as he was speaking to him, his gaze remained on Charles. Something about it almost made Billy wonder —

No. No, he was not about to get such ideas now, thank you very much. That way lay only madness and probably disappointment. Besides, it was quite enough for him to know that his grandfather could enjoy a cup of tea and a peaceful chat about their plans with Charles simply because he happened to find a free slot in his schedule. So much so, in fact, that when Billy soon excused himself to go and talk with more of the school's residents, the two barely seemed to notice his absence.

Well. At least he would certainly have something to discuss with his dear husband.

*

"Should we move all this around a bit? Make it more balanced, that sort of thing?"

"Nah, it's fine as it is." Teddy patted Billy on the shoulder. "I vote we just replace the picture. I mean, it doesn't really make sense to have two pictures of him just because one of them was here first. Let's just think of it as an update on the situation."

"I guess that works." Billy took down the frame in question, turning it over in his hands. It was easy enough to undo the little clasps holding the back on, then pry out the picture already there. He gave it to Teddy, then accepted the replacement, setting it carefully in the frame so it would be nice and straight. Then he closed the back again and reached to hang the frame back in in its old spot.

It wasn't anything special, as far as photographs went. Two old men, one gone bald and the other's hair the color of snow, were talking to each other in a very pleasant sitting room. There was a chess board set between them, a game apparently in progress, one of the pieces hovering in the air as it waited to be placed in its new location.

The most important part about the picture, though, was that Erik was smiling.

"That's a pretty good shot, really." Teddy drew Billy into his arms, which he was never going to complain about, one hand still holding the old picture. "We've got to thank Kurt for giving us a copy."

"Yeah. It's much nicer than the old one, that's for sure." Billy chuckled. "You know, I really had to try my best not to draw any conclusions from the way he kept looking at Charles back there."

Teddy nuzzled his hair. "Well, they do seem to be pretty focused on each other, no matter what the world. And they are supposed to have been best friends at some point. You know that's a thing now, right? People liking each other without there being sex involved? Jeez, you sinful gay guys, always so focused on the bed stuff."

"Oh, shut up." Billy nudged Teddy with his elbow. Only gently so, of course. "I'll have you know I only have sex within the holy bonds of matrimony, thank you very much."

Teddy snorted, his breath warm in Billy's hair. "Yeah, I know all about how very pure and unsullied you are, you wicked little thing." It might have almost been insulting if not for the teasing tone in his voice. Well, that and the fact that Teddy was personally responsible for pretty much every bit of wickedness Billy was guilty of in this regard.

"Hey, as long as I keep my wickedness behind closed doors, it's nobody's business but mine and yours." Billy turned in Teddy's arms, reaching a hand up to his hair. "Besides, you are the one who turned this discussion to sex, I never said a thing about that. Aren't you being the sex-obsessed one, thinking two people can't be in love without immediately falling into bed?"

"Well, I can only speak for my own experiences on the matter." Teddy grinned at him. "If I was so in love with someone, completely hypothetically of course, and was lucky enough that they actually loved me back, I like to think there would be more than mere hand-holding involved at some point in the relationship."

Billy snorted. "You are such a filthy thing, Theodore Banner. Why, you ought to be ashamed." He reached up to steal a quick kiss from Teddy. "Also, if you were smart enough to stop just talking about it, I'm sure we could find the time for some perfectly virtuous and boring married sex and still make it to the Tower in time for dinner."

Teddy's grin widened, just for a moment, before he quite simply swept Billy off his feet and picked him up into his arms. Not that he was going to protest, of course, certainly not as Teddy seemed quite intent on carrying him up the stairs into their bed, in their bedroom, in their house, in their life.

Perhaps there was still a lot about their lives that was not clear or even familiar, but at this point, Billy was quite willing to face all of that just for the knowledge that the happiness of this single moment belonged to him.


End file.
